mdsw epilogue, or hotpants strikes back

May 12, 2011

last year, i went to my first ever fiber festival,maryland sheep and wool festival ’10.
i knit my hotpants for a lark,
because all the talk of what to make/wear to the festival, well,
i thought people were a little nuts about it.

suddenly it was time for mdsw ’11,
and i had to decide if it was time to iron the hotpants,
or retire them.

i had to ask myself,
am i too old for this shit?
is it time for a little dignity?
or is this a tradition i should embrace?

ultimately,
i said fuck it.
who cares?!

i spent a lot of time on them,
and it hurt my hands to knit them.
(aran weight cotton on 5’s + cables. never again.)
i mean, there are only so many places one can wear handknit hotpants.
as long as my ass isn’t saggy, i’m wearing ’em!
and if nothing else, they’re über comfy.

of course i realize that wearing them will garner some attention,
and people are going to snap a couple surreptitious pics.
these are some of the pics i could get my hands on:

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there was obviously a lot of kinnearing,
and several people stopped me to ask for a photo,
which i am always happy to do if i can get a copy.
but two encounters really stand out.

the first is when a little boy, adam,
came up to me to ask about the hotpants.
apparently, he’s a little knitters, and he recognized me from ravelry.
this little bugger was totally fearless, asking all kinds pertinent questions.
at first i just answered his queries, talking like i would to any knitter,
until i realized that he looked like he was alone.

the other is the “in search of hotpants” tee shirt.
meg and her mother, karen, made and wore the shirt (respectively),
and then made it one of their festival goals to find me.
now that is dedication if i ever saw it.

all in all,
the hotpants and i had a lovely time.
i’m still thinking of retiring them,
or perhaps knitting a new pair.
maybe when i’m thirty.

twenty six in hotpants may be acceptable.
i still have a little crazy youth on my side.
but an anonymous bulge at thirty?
not quite so classy.

I’m happy you haven’t retired the hot pants just yet. Part of the fun in going to a fiber festival is seeing other people’s knits. The more ridiculous, the better. Plus, you have to admit you like the attention. (I know I do when I wear my giraffe hat around town)

Perhaps it is time to retire the hotpants to being worn around the house and/or at informal family get-togethers. Or at least make a pair in a different colorway.

But I’ve seen lots of free patterns online for all kinds of things you could make to replace the hotpants. Just about any amount of coverage between the waist and ankles is available — from almost none (a willie warmer – :-O!) to ankle-length tights and slacks.

As for the bulge, I’m going to mix some old sayings: If it ain’t broke, flaunt it.

I love all the pictures, stolen and shared. They are fabulous wherever you are, whatever you do. Though at Fiber Fests they stand out just right. Thanks for giving those not able to attend a taste of fiber fun.